Course I: Introduction to Legal Sources in U.S. Intelligence Law

Course Objectives

By the end of this course you will have a sophisticated understanding of the federal legal system of the United States and the general framework of laws governing all domestic intelligence activities.

Course Description

Course I: Introduction to Legal Sources in U.S. Intelligence Law provides a comprehensive overview of all sources of primary legal authority governing federal intelligence agencies in the United States. This introductory course on American law is designed primarily for non-lawyers and law students but may prove useful even for practicing attorneys. U.S. intelligence law is distinct from most other areas of law in that the legal framework is expounded by very few judicial opinions. Instead, the corpus juris is composed almost entirely of statutory law fleshed out internally within the executive branch through a multiplicity of administrative instruments. These instruments include various types of presidential directives, policy statements, procedural rules, internal agency guidelines, and interpretive memoranda that are unique to the intelligence field. To complicate matters further, there is also considerable inconsistency in the nomenclature used to name these issuances, which often makes it difficult for new intelligence lawyers to see how individual documents fit into the broader legal framework. As a result, it might be useful even for experienced attorneys to complete this introduction as a primer before diving into the sui generis administrative landscape that provides the backdrop for all substantive courses on IntelligenceLaw.com.

Course I: Introduction to Legal Sources in U.S. Intelligence Law is dedicated to the heroes at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)--perhaps the single greatest force fighting for real freedom in America today. [www.aclu.org].

Creative Commons Course Book for Course I: Introduction to Legal Sources in U.S. Intelligence Law

Dedication: This free intelligence law course book is dedicated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation [www.eff.org]

Other Details: The table of contents in this pdf document is interactive. All you need to do is find the statute or material you're looking for and click on it in the table of contents and you will be taken right to it.

Copyleft Notice for Course Book: This course book is in the public domain. No rights reserved.